As Internet usage continues to grow, more and more customers are accessing communications services via a mobile device, e.g., a cell phone, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), etc. For example, a customer may receive multimedia content via his/her cell phone. The cell phone transmits and receives voice and data packets to and from the service provider's network via a base station and an access network.
The customer's ability to access services via a wireless device is dependent on the availability of capacity on various network elements, e.g., radio access networks, cell site equipment and so on. The service provider may forecast the demand for a radio access network and/or cell site equipment such as a base station and deploy the necessary equipment in the network accordingly. However, the wireless network business is dynamic in nature. That is, as customers increase their mobility and change the type of services that they access, the demand prediction becomes increasingly unreliable. In one example, a large number of customers may subscribe to receive a streaming media (e.g., for a playoff football game) via their respective cell phones, such that the base stations and/or access network may not have sufficient capacity set aside for streaming the requested media content. The customers may become dissatisfied with the service, and the service provider may experience reduced revenue and/or increased churn. In another example, a new application of interest, e.g., an online gaming application, educational application, etc., may be released. Hence, the demand may dynamically change over time.